Fair Work decision means greater employment opportunities for students
The Victorian Government welcomes Fair Work Australia's decision today to vary the General Retail Industry Award 2010 to allow for greater flexibility in minimum shifts for student casuals, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations Richard Dalla-Riva said today.
"The Fair Work Australia ruling today, which will allow for a one-and-a-half-hour minimum engagement for student casuals, represents a victory for commonsense," Mr Dalla-Riva said.
"This means Australian teenagers will continue to get their first opportunity in the workplace by taking up a job after school and the variation will promote greater employment opportunities for students, particularly in regional Victoria.
"The Victorian Government was the only state government to intervene in this case and we did so because we felt it was important to support calls by national retailers for greater flexibility in the approach to after-school work by students.
"The Coalition Government in Victoria does not believe Commonwealth laws should make it harder for small businesses to hire students, especially in regional Victoria, or harder for students to get after-school work.
While the Tribunal did not grant in full the National Retail Associations application to vary the modern award, the practical effect of the draft determination will deliver all or most of the flexibility sought in the application.
The Victorian Government proudly supports and promotes greater flexibility in Victorian workplaces to give people of all ages more access to employment opportunities right across the state.
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